Hello All,
I am
purchasing a
Morgan OI 41 for 3 year liveaboard/corporate
work with my wife. From there, we plan to
cruise as far north as
Newfoundland and as far south as say... Trinidad. Also a trans-atlantic to
Europe is in the plan.
Due to the age of these
boats, and the fact that we will need creature comforts while working our jobs (to avoid my wife going insane), I am going to completely
refit the
interior systems. Because I am starting from scratch, I have an infinite number of choices as to how to get all these bells and whistles set up in the
boat. Also, space isn't much of a factor on a big, wide tank such as a
Morgan OI. On to the questions!
I am installing the following items because we would like them for the 3 year dockside living and working time, rather than for
extended cruising. Some of these items may become less necessary during our cruising period:
*Watermaker (dock h2o lines ice up in winter)
*Hot
water heater
*Stove with reasonable
oven (we bake and cook)
*Circulators below the
boat (Prevent ice crush)
*Strong
cabin heater
*Washer/Dryer combo unit
*Standard computers/flat
screen tv, stereo
*Phone
I may be leaving out an item or two, but you get the picture. My problem is that each of the above items is able to run on several
power sources. I understand my total daily
consumption (have a physics degree - it helps). However, I don't know which type of
power is best. There are many scenarios, from wildly outlandish (but valid) to simple. Here are some examples;
1) AC Power Major Source (Diesel Generated)
Everything would run on AC.
Diesel would power an AC genset which would run everything on the boat. There would be a very large genset and a huge, expensive mat
battery bank capable of running an
electric stove and
oven for hours.
Heating would be via a
diesel Espar
cabin heater. Doesn't seem ideal in a lot of ways, but it would
work and would provide a lot of AC for hungry
appliances, including hot
water,
laundry,
cooking, etc... all on one system. Mega
inverter also necessary. Fridge and
Freezer AC powered.
2) DC Power Major Source (Solar,
Wind, Diesel Generated)
Seems like the best system to me, but I'm not sure. Drawbacks are the need for an
inverter to run
washing machine. Would likekly look into the WhisperGen, even though it's expensive. While it's not an efficient electricity source, it is one HELL of an efficient source of electricty and heat. Fridge and
freezer would be DC powered. Cookstove and oven would have to be LPG/Propane in order to work well enough. Drawback is also that filling
propane and diesel is a pain. Is my bottle going to fit the nozzle in various countries? Will I have to
purchase new gas bottles all the time? How long can you realistically exsit on LPG without a re-fill, assuming you carry a lot of it? I like the fact that
solar and
wind can make up a little of the necessary power we need.
3) Diesel Life
Run everything off diesel. Diesel cabin heater, diesel genset (to DC), diesel cookstove (they aren't great), diesel everywhere I can, with some DC systems, such as fridge and freezer.
4) LPG Life
Gas hot water heater, Gas cookstove, gas everything with a small amout of DC. They even make gas refrigerators and freezers. The big problem? I'd be afriad to explode one day with some gas leak.
So, in your opionon, would would be the best way to design comfort systems on a boat, given it's a fresh re-fit? Factors important to me are cost over the long run and ease of use. The less I have to
repair things, the better. I can't simplify down to no systems, because we want them while living shoreside for the next few years. Since I am putting all this junk in, I would like to design a cost effective, efficient system that may last a few years before major
replacements are required.
Thank you in advance, oh great wise people of the cruisers forum!
Sean
So many choices... all valid. I need some advice.
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